Prof Roelof Coetzer, an academic from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) research focus area for Pure and Applied Analytics, has been awarded the prestigious Thought Leader Award by the South African Statistical Association (SASA).
This accolade recognises individuals who have profoundly impacted the South African statistical community through academic excellence, leadership, and industry contributions.
Prof Coetzer brings a wealth of experience, having spent more than 30 years in the industry before joining the NWU in 2021. He has led multidisciplinary teams in developing artificial intelligence and process modelling solutions, and has contributed to applied and theoretical statistical research globally. Among his accomplishments are 53 co-authored scientific publications, a patent in coal processing technologies, and numerous successful postgraduate supervision projects.
He has also held influential positions, including that of SASA president in 2013 and being a council member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions since 2015. Notably, he led efforts to address South Africa's academic statistics crisis, resulting in significant government support for developing local talent.
Prof Coetzer focuses on teaching, research, and securing impactful industry collaborations. His work showcases the importance of integrating theoretical and applied statistics to solve real-world problems in areas such as energy efficiency, environmental compliance and sustainability.
He emphasises that statistics is vital across disciplines. “The greatest ideas come from industry problems with no existing solutions. Framing these as academic challenges generates innovative solutions for value creation.”
Receiving the Thought Leader Award, Prof Coetzer expressed his pride and hopes to use this recognition to inspire younger generations to explore the boundless opportunities in mathematical and statistical sciences.
"Statistics are making a difference in many areas, including business, industry, medicine, government and society. The next generation of statisticians has the chance to shape a better world," he says.
Prof Roelof Coetzer, recipient of the SASA Thought Leader Award, celebrates decades of contributions to the field of statistics.
